Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely
by staceycj
Summary: Takes place immediately after 6X22.  This is how Dean, Sam, and Bobby get out of Cass's sights.


"Bow down to me and profess your love." Castiel said. Dean's eyes widened at the absurdity of the statement, and the gall of the angel turned nuclear reactor. Dean looked past the delusional angel and caught the eyes of Sam. Dean recognized that look, recognized it from all of those years ago when he had been the one to come out of hell with all of the memories of hell in tact. He used to see that look in the mirror. Then Dean remembered how those memories were brought front and center. He remembered that the man who wanted to be God was the one to break the great wall of Sam and allow all of that crap to come forward, allowed his little brother to have that same look in his eye that Dean had once had in his, allowed his brother to be tortured when Sam had done nothing to deserve the torture.

Bobby recognized the look in Dean's eyes. It was the look that Dean had once had all of the time, the look that was angry, murderous, and vengeful. It was the look that was reserved for those who had hurt his family. And God or no God, Castiel had hurt Dean's family—car included, and that wasn't something that Dean was likely to just forgive and forget…screwing over the world, that could be forgiven in Dean's world, but hurting Sam, that was unforgiveable. And Bobby knew that Dean was about to do something stupid, something that was surely going to get all of them killed, and Bobby fortified himself. This time there would be no magic angel to come and fix a broken neck. If they died here and now, that would be it, lights out, no resurrection for any of them.

Dean shook his head at the overcharged angel and walked towards Sam who looked as if he were having a hard time standing up right. He reached out to Sam and steadied him. "It'll be okay Sammy." He said. Sam's breathing eased almost imperceptibly but to Dean who had spent his entire life focused on his little brother, heard it. Dean reached up and pushed hair out of Sam's eyes. "You have a fever." Dean said softly.

"Kinda feel like I'm on fire." Sam said with a small unamused laugh.

"I said bow down to me and pledge your allegiance." Castiel bellowed. Dean ignored him and focused solely on his brother.

"I remember the feeling." Dean said and hooked an arm underneath his brother's arm, putting a steadying hand on his brother's back, Sam reached around his brother's back and put a death grip on Dean's shoulder. "That'll pass though."

"I don't know. Kinda doesn't feel like it will."

"I know that too, but it will I swear." Sam swallowed hard and nodded, hair falling into his eyes.

"If you don't pledge your allegiance to me I will destroy all of you." Castiel said with heat behind it, heat that could be felt on the skin, heat that filled the room with righteous indignation. Dean continued his ignoring of the elephant in the room and continued checking over his brother.

"Do you hurt anywhere?" Dean asked. "You fell pretty hard when the dick broke your wall, and you were seizing all over the place."

"My head hurts." Sam said softly.

"What kind of hurt? I banged my head kind of hurt or is it the kind of hurt like your visions?"

"A lot of both." He said with a hint of a whine.

"You banged your head on the car door." Bobby said, taking his cue from Dean. He walked past the arrogant power hungry wanna be God who was glaring at them. Once he reached Sam he pushed the hair from the youngest hunter's eyes.

"You need a hair cut boy."

"I'll be sure to get right on that." Sam half heartedly joked. "It's been a little busy." Bobby hooked an arm underneath Sam's other arm, his hand just under Dean's on Sam's narrow lower back, and Sam put the death grip on Bobby's shoulder.

"Come on we need to get him back to the house." Dean said. Bobby nodded. "Can you walk Sam?"

"Yeah. I can walk." The three men began walking towards the exit. Castiel stepped in front of them, blocking their path.

"Get the hell out of my way." Dean growled, and fixed him with a look that would have brought the strongest man to his knees.

"Did you not hear me?" Castiel asked.

"Did you not hear ME?" Dean retorted.

"You insignificant cockroach you will not question me."

"You power hungry child you will not stop me from helping my brother."

"You will…"

"Bow down to you and pledge my undying love for you. Yeah yeah, get a new record." Dean said with a roll of his large green eyes. "Come on." He commanded his little family and they began to side step the angel.

"You mock me."

"You tried to break my brother."

"I am your God."

"You are no one's God."

"You have no room to be blasphemous Dean Winchester."

Dean smiled. "I've been blasphemous my whole life. Just because you've decided that you're God now won't stop me."

"I will smite you right here and now if you don't pledge your loyalty."

"Go ahead. Smite all of us. We don't care anymore. We pledged our loyalty to you, Castiel the angel of Thursdays, the angel who pulled me from perdition, the angel who lost his grace, rebelled against heaven and helped us stop the apocalypse, the angel who gave me back Bobby, and in some whack a do form my brother, I've pledged my loyalty. But you…this thing that you have become…I don't give a rat's ass about. Go suck it. Go find someone else to be your bitch. We're done." Dean turned his back and continued their slow and steady path out of the warehouse, all the while talking to Sam, soothing him, trying to ease the memories of hell.

"Dean Winchester we are not done here." Castiel's voice echoed with anger.

"Oh we're done." Dean said and ignored all other attempts Castiel made to garner their attention. And he had every intention of ignoring him until they got out of the room, far away from this place, however, Sam had other plans. When they reached the top of the stairs Sam disentangled himself from his brother and surrogate father, "Sam." Dean said warningly.

"I'm okay. I can stand." He said and then gave his full attention to Castiel.

"You once told me that drinking the demon blood would destroy me. You were right. It destroyed a lot of what made me me. And now, those souls you have drunk are destroying you." A flash of hell clouded his vision, his knees went weak and a pain filled sob bubbled up from his throat, and Bobby and Dean were right there and grabbed him and pulled him back against their bodies, pounding heartbeats grounding Sam into reality. He opened his eyes and fixed Castiel a stare. "Remember, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Castiel raised his hand to eliminate the heretics from his midst, and all three of them starred him down, chins raised in defiance. "Go ahead ass hat. Kill us." Bobby added.

"That's what I thought." Dean said when Castiel did nothing more than glare. "Come on Sam, Bobby, let's get home." The door shut behind them, they left Castiel, the angel of Thursdays, standing in the warehouse, power surging through him, the ability to destroy them with a flick of the hand unused, alone, powerless, and useless.

To be a God you need followers.


End file.
